Gurukul Tales:

Teacher-Student Stories from Ancient India

A handpicked compilation, a retelling of the mythological teacher-student stories.

‘Gurukul Tales: Teacher-Student Stories from Ancient India‘ showcases the finest of teachers and the best of students from ancient India. Collected from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas, these stories will enchant kids and adults alike.

It ranked #2 on Amazon in ‘Mythology and Folk tales’ and #3 in ‘Children’s Short Stories’.

Have you wondered how Prahlada became the greatest devotee of Lord Vishnu? Or do you know what Dronacharya had to do in order to make Arjuna the best archer?

From Aruni’s selfless dedication towards his Guru to Parashurama’s curse to Karna, find the most mysterious stories and a few unknown facts from the ancient history of India.

Nine stories are illustrated with nine images for the kids to give a glimpse of the ancient culture.

Written in simple language and appropriate for all ages, these stories and characters will lead the reader on a spiritual path. Inculcating good values in the formative years will help the youth strengthen their teacher-student relationship by developing respect. The ancient tales discuss the matters of obedience, dedication, bravery, and courage for the students. For the modern teachers, the sages of India have set examples of responsibility, justice, and hard work, as these tales will show you.

Read an overview of the content and chapters of ‘Gurukul Tales: Teacher-Student Stories from Ancient India’.

Testimonials

Brahmadeva Prasad Karyi

Retired Head of Department (HOD) (Hindi) at C.M Arts & Commerce College Darbhanga

“

“Welcome to Digvijay Shahi’s book: ‘Gurukul Tales: Teacher-Student Stories from Ancient India’. In this short script, stories of world-renowned and great guru-disciples like Narada-Prahlad, Dhaumya-Aruni, Dronacharya-Arjuna, Parashurama-Karna, Shukracharya-Kacha, Vaishampayan-Yagyavalkya, Dronacharya-Eklavya, Sandeepani-Shri Krishna, and Surya dev-Hanuman are compiled, respectively. The compiler has said nothing on his own behalf, but this compilation of his seems to say a lot. I strongly recommend that this book be included in the primary classes.”

"Great were the gurus and disciples in India, the guru of all nations.
The Gurukul was known for its reverence, love, and devotion.
The disciples lived together; such was Gurukul’s identity.
Guru in the harmony awakened the spirit of humanity.
As time passed, the trade of selfishness took hold.
India was demoted, when education was sold" - Brahmadeva Prasad Karyi

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Amazon Customer

“The stories recalled my childhood. They are sensible and most importantly short😊 which will attract kids. To make it more attractive you can add images where kids can read. This is must read for todays generation.”

Amazon Customer

“I am a huge history buff. Must read book , beautifully written in such an easy to understand words ! I would recommend this book to anyone”

Amazon Customer

“Amazing collection of short stories. This book can make reading easy for kids and glue them for sometime.”

A Short Overview:

Preface

India is the land of ancient wisdom. Great sages have created works that have helped in the knowledge’s continuation. The Indian culture has incorporated the philosophies and the wisdom of the sages by means of stories and rituals.

Tales from the Puranas and other literature not only are intensively engaging but also help in maintaining traditions. These traditions are what define a society and make the people civil.

This book compiles nine stories taken from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas. They are the epitome of the teacher-student relationship in ancient India. A rich tradition of excellent teachers and devoted students had made India, Vishwa-guru (teacher of the world) at one time. This book showcases those values which make the teacher-student relationship righteous and praiseworthy.

Chapters

Sage Narada and Prahlada

Guru means ‘one who delivers from the darkness.’ A guru not only educates us but is also a protector of society and shows us the path of virtue. This is the story of a boy who was the son of the enemy of the gods. He became a student of the great sage Narada and changed the course of history.

Sage Aruni and Dhaumya

Servitude to the teacher is the path that opens the door to all disciplines, accomplishments, and knowledge. This is the famous story of the student who, without a thought, risked his life for a small request by his teacher, and became one of the most knowledgeable sages in the history.

Dronacharya and Arjuna

A teacher and a disciple are complementary to each other. A good teacher is incomplete without a deserving student. And a good student is inexistent without a teacher. The most famous teacher-pupil duo of the history and the story that defined their relationship.

Lord Parashurama and Karna

The teacher-pupil relation is pious and selfless. This relation is a representation of God in a way that it delivers us from the darkness of ignorance. The tale of Parashurama and Karna is a story that shows us how righteousness is born from the roots of ignorance.

Shukracharya and Kach

The relation between teacher and pupil is selfless. Even gods need a teacher, and so do demons. This is the story of the son of a god who became loyal to the teacher of the demons, sacrificed love, fear, and even death.

Vaishampayana and Yagyavalkya

Some students are unparalleled in the world. The creator of the Vedanga, Yagyavalkya, has a story like this. He made a mistake, was outed from his gurukul, and yet accomplished what no one could.

Dronacharya and Ekalavya

Dronacharya is infamous as the Guru of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. However, this is the story of his secret student who by his loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice became great and left the mighty Drona with a guilt for eternity.

Sage Sandeepani and Shri Krishna

We have heard the praises of the Gurus in many stories. But a teacher who gets God as his disciple is something to think about. This is one of many miracles that Shri Krishna performed in his pastime. In this story, to keep his word towards his teacher, he went to the land of the dead and did what never happens.

Lord Soorya and Lord Hanumana

The pair of the enlightened Sun-God and excellent Hanumana is the perfect example of the conjugation of the best teacher with the best student. By God’s grace, such conjugations happen over time in our world, and the earth is blessed with great people. In the modern world, Chanakya-Chandragupta and Aristotle-Alexander are a few examples of such conjugation.

Indulge yourself and find love in the liberating relation between a Guru and a Shishya.